Living In The Moment
by xoElle23
Summary: The long awaited sequel to Dancing In The Rain! Ryan and Marissa's lives as adults and how they deal with the challanges life brings to them.
1. One

**Disclaimer: I own no part of the OC. Hello, if I did it wouldn't have had such a crappy season 3 end!**

**-OC-**

It was four thirty-two a.m.; May first, a Wednesday morning. While most of the residents of Newport, California were nestled away under the covers of their warm beds in the privacy of their own home, Ryan and Marissa Atwood sat cuddled together in a hospital bed at Newport Presbyterian Hospital. Wrapped in a soft pink blanket, a baby slept soundly in its mother's arms.

It started about nine the night before, when Marissa was relaxing on the couch about to watch a movie. Her husband, who had been grabbing a snack in the kitchen, was startled by a sudden burst of noise emitting from his wife.

"RYAN!!!" she had screamed at the top of her lungs. "IT'S TIME!"

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the hospital and fifteen minutes after _that_ Summer and Seth had arrived, both on their cell phones, having been given the position of heads of the phone tree.

At four-oh-six Ryan had entered a waiting room filled with family and friends, to announce the birth of Amy Summer Atwood who weighed seven pounds even and was twenty and a third inches long. She had the faintest dust of blonde hair resting upon her head, and was an exact replica of Marissa except for the eyes and ears, which were his.

"We'll see her tomorrow." Kirsten had told him. "You should all get some rest."

Seth nodded. "Yeah dude, you kinda look like hell."

"We'll bring breakfast." Summer added giving him a hug. "Tell them both that we love them."

He walked back to the room to see his wife talking softly to their sleeping daughter.

"…and daddy is going to spoil you rotten. I know it seems like he puts up a tough front for most people but with us it's different, you'll see. He's probably not going to let you date until he's dead though, but I'll try and loosen him up. And your Aunt Summer and I will take you shopping and turn you into a diva, yes we will. And Uncle Seth will try and turn you into a geek but we won't let him. Grandma Kirsten and Grandpa Sandy will probably let you have anything you want, and Grandma Julie says she's too young to be called Grandma so we'll have to figure something out. She wasn't the best parent when I was growing up but she really has changed for the better. And Aunt Kaitlyn will probably try to turn you into a rebel so you'll have to promise me to watch out for her."

"I'm going to let her date before I'm dead. Just as long as I'm old and senile and can't remember."

Marissa glanced up and smiled. "See Aim? I told you he was a good guy."

Ryan let out a small laugh and climbed in bed next to her, pressing a kiss to her lips and then on the baby's head. He sighed. "Can you believe that we're parents?"

"No. Wasn't it yesterday that we were sixteen and I was sneaking over to the pool house in the middle of the night?"

"You know Sandy always said not to blink, because life will fly by before you know it."

Marissa nodded. "We blinked."

"And now we're twenty three years old and have a kid."

"Did you ever think we'd get here?"

He frowned. "Honestly? Sometimes. But back then I didn't think about the future very much, it was a lot just to deal with what was going on at the moment."

"I know what you mean. But I did think about a life with you. And I'm glad it happened."

"Me too." They shared a gentle kiss. "I love you Marissa."

"I love you too Ryan." They both glanced down at the pink bundle. "And we love you too."

**-OC-**

"Shut up Cohen, the nurse said they were still asleep."

"Well I'm sorry for hitting my foot on the corner!"

"Watch where you're going next time, you almost took down a lady on crutches!"

"Guys, seriously, calm down."

"Sorry Mr. C."

"Yeah, sorry dad."

"Let's just sit in the waiting room so we don't stand here in the way."

"Great idea mom, we're right behind you." Thump! "Ow! I'm sorry ma'am."

"Oh _my god_. Seriously Cohen, I'm admitting you here so they can monitor you 24/7. Please excuse him miss, he's mentally retarded. Is your leg okay?"

"I'm not mentally retarded, I'm just clumsy. Here, let me help you back into your wheelchair…"

Ryan and Marissa let out yawns and looked around. The clock said nine thirty but it might as well have said midnight. They were both exhausted.

"You'd better go tell them we're awake before they kill someone." Marissa said as she listened to her friend's commotion out in the hallway.

"Or we could listen for a little while longer."

She laughed. "Go."

Ryan sighed and did as he was told. "Come on in." he said, pulling the door open wide.

"Oh thank god Chino!" Summer rushed in to hug her best friend. "Coop! Ohmygod, you're a mom!"

"And you're an aunt!" Marissa replied happily.

Sandy and Kirsten moved to hug her as well and, surprisingly, so did Seth.

"When do we get to see her?" Kirsten asked.

"I just buzzed for a nurse." Ryan replied sitting down next to the bed. "Now I remember being promised food?"

"Right! It's just McDonalds but we didn't think it really mattered." Summer handed he and Marissa each a bag displaying the golden arches.

"Sum, I love you- _so much_. Seriously, they wouldn't let me have anything last night and when I finally was allowed to eat I couldn't stay awake." Marissa dug in to her food eagerly. "This is perfect. Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks." Ryan repeated, his mouth full as well.

"Mrs. Atwood! Good morning!" A tall, full figured red head with glasses and who looked to be in her mid-twenties entered the room wearing pink scrubs adorned with kittens. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good Chelsea." Marissa looked up at the woman and smiled, and the nurse immediately returned her grin.

"I see you finally got something to eat. And Ryan too, awesome. I'm guessing you buzzed me to request something?" she giggled. "I'll be right back."

"She seemed nice." Sandy observed once the girl had exited the room.

Marissa nodded. "She was the one who was assigned to me last night and she's really great. Nice, but not annoying."

"And she knows where her boundaries are." Ryan put in. "She's cool."

"You're lucky. I can remember when Seth was born," Kirsten grimaced at the memory. "I think I had the oldest nurse on the planet and she couldn't remember anything, let alone my name."

They laughed and Ryan and Marissa continued to tell the group about their hospital adventure for awhile before Chelsea appeared again, this time pushing a crib on wheels. She came to a stop next to the bed and smiled as she gently placed the baby into her mother's awaiting arms.

Marissa stared down at the child, who slept soundly.

"She's doing great." Chelsea informed them. "We changed her and fed her last night, gave her a bath and she went to sleep easily. Didn't wake up much, which is impressive, and her test results came back fine."

Marissa looked up. "Tests? What tests?"

"Just the required tests for each newborn- it's done to everyone and its routine, to make sure everything internal is working okay." Chelsea explained quickly. "Amy is fine, I promise. A little tired from the big event yesterday, but other than that, she's great."

The young blonde's face relaxed. "Oh. Okay. Thanks Chelsea."

"When you need a break or anything else, just call for me and I can take her back to the nursery for you. We have the best staff in the world, so there's nothing to worry about." She nodded to everyone else and headed to check on her next patient.

"Coop! Oh my god!" Summer looked at the baby in awe. "She's so perfect."

"You want to hold her?"

The brunette nodded and took the child into her arms. "Hi there Amy. I'm your Aunt Summer. I'm gonna make sure you have lots of inappropriate phrases to say around your daddy."

Kirsten took a turn holding baby Amy next, then Sandy, and finally Seth reluctantly allowed the infant to be placed in his arms.

"Since I'm your Cool Uncle Seth I'm gonna have to come up with a super cool niece nickname for you." He told the child.

Summer smiled at her husband's interaction with her new niece. "Cohen, you're a pro."

Seth nodded. "Well I am Cool Uncle Seth. I guess I just have a way with kids."

"Good thing." Summer said quietly.

The curly haired boy turned to eye her. "What?"

"I said it's a good thing you have a way with kids because that will come in handy in about…. seven and a half months." She mumbled nervously. "Surprise Cohen, I'm pregnant."

Ryan removed his daughter from Seth's arms as a blank stare came across his face.

"Seth?" Summer waved a hand in front of him. "Cohen? You alive in there?"

**-OC-**

"I can't believe he passed out." Marissa laughed later that day. The family was long gone and it was now just the small family of three in the room.

"He did better than I expected." Ryan admitted. "For a second there I thought he was going to go into cardiac arrest or something."

"Don't say that! Oh my god, that's terrible! But you may be right." She finally said.

"All I'm saying is that once the nurses got him up and alert he seemed okay."

"Yeah, he was pretty excited when they left."

Ryan glanced down at the baby sleeping in his arms. "I just hope Summer knows what she's in for. He's going to want to name the kid Clark Kent or Bruce Banner or something."

"Well Summer isn't going to be a pleasant experience either. I know I was bad with the hormones but imagine what she's going to do."

Ryan thought about it. "We'll help her raise the kid after she kills him." He decided.

"Knock knock." Chelsea stuck her head in the door. "How are we doing?"

"Good." Marissa reported.

"That's good to hear. I've come to check your vitals and take a blood sample." The nurse explained as she entered carrying a small box filled with medical supplies. "Then Dr. Glass is going to examine you and see how you're healing. And while she's doing that I'm going to take Amy and clean her up in the nursery."

Marissa frowned. "Do you have to take her?"

Chelsea laughed. "Getting attached? Yes, I'm afraid I have to. Besides, you need all the rest you can get since you're being discharged tomorrow."

The blonde's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"As long as Dr. Glass agrees that you're okay, then yes. I need your arm." She took the extended arm and wiped it with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. "Little stick in three, two, one-"

Marissa winced as she felt the familiar prick in her arm. "Ow."

"All done." Chelsea held up the small tube now filled with blood. "Good job. Now I'll just take Miss Amy here and Dr. Glass will be with you shortly." She laid the baby in the wheeled crib and grabbed her box. "I'll be back to check on you later."

"Thank you." Ryan called. He turned to his wife. "How are you feeling?"

"Very anxious to get out of here." She answered honestly. "I'm so ready to go home. We have everything ready, right? All of the stuff is put together and-"

"It's all taken care of." He assured her. "The stuff that wasn't done when we left, Summer and Seth took care of yesterday. It's all set up and waiting."

"Hello there." A young, curly haired brunette grinned as she entered the room. She wore a white lab coat with her name stitched across the upper left corner, revealing to everyone that her first name was Sara, and had simple black pumps on her feet. Her eyes were soft and warm, and the smile on her face made her only that much more beautiful.

"Hi Dr. Glass."

"Hey guys. How are we doing?" she sat down on the edge of Marissa's hospital bed, acting as if she was more of a friend than a doctor, which was one of the qualities Marissa liked about her.

"Great. I'm feeling really good."

"And how's parenthood?"

The couple grinned. "Amazing."

"You like her okay then?" Dr. Glass laughed. "Good to know."

Ryan shrugged. "I think we'll keep her."

"Nice choice! She seems like a good one." She patted Marissa's leg affectionately and grabbed her chart, glancing it over. "Well, how about we get this exam out of the way and then we can focus on getting you out of here tomorrow? Sound good?"

"Sounds great."

The exam didn't take long and before they knew it, it was Saturday afternoon and Chelsea was entering the room with a wheelchair.

"Miss Marissa, are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" she teased.

Marissa smiled. "I'm positive." She was back in her normal clothes and sitting on the edge of her bed while Ryan sat the bag of necessities they had brought next to her.

"Well then, according to hospital policy you have to be wheeled out." The nurse informed her. "And Ryan, I have a few last minute papers here that I need you to sign."

Ryan quickly looked over the papers she handed him and scribbled his name at the bottom.

Chelsea double checked them and nodded. "Great. So Marissa, let's get you in the chair and we'll head to the nursery to get your daughter."

Taking a hand from each of them Marissa was gently moved to the wheelchair. Ryan grabbed the duffle bag and gave the room one last glance to make sure nothing was left behind and followed the girls out and down the hallway. A few minutes later they arrived at the nursery where they found Dr. Glass placing baby Amy into the carrier Seth and Summer had dropped off earlier, a diaper bag next to her.

"Ready to head out?" she asked happily picking the carrier and diaper bag up and walking over to the door.

"Very." Marissa replied.

Dr. Glass smiled and went with them down the elevator and out to the car by the entrance where Ryan had pulled it a few minutes earlier.

"Well, it has been a pleasure to work with you Atwood family." She said finally.

Ryan nodded and shook her hand. "Thank you for all of your help. And you too Chelsea."

"Yeah, thanks." Marissa mimicked his actions.

"If you need anything at all just call me."

Chelsea smiled. "Good luck guys!"

Marissa was soon helped into the passenger's seat and the baby was strapped into the back before Ryan climbed into the driver's and started the car.

"You ready?"

Marissa nodded and he smiled.

"Good. Because we just got in way over our heads."

**-OC-**

**Ta-da!!! The long awaited sequel to Dancing In The Rain! I've decided that this story will be a series of oneshots about various stages in RM's adult life. I have no specific amount of chapters in mind, I just write as I get ideas. Please review, they make me write faster! **


	2. Two

"NOOOO!"

"Grace Isabella Atwood stop right there!"

"Ahhh!" Thump. Crash. "Ouch."

Ryan finally caught up with his seven-year-old daughter in the hallway to find her sitting on the floor.

"What did you do?" he asked wearily.

"I hit my knee," she grumbled.

"And how did you do that?"

She sighed. "I ran into the wall."

Ryan tried to suppress his grin. "And why did that happen?"

"Because I wasn't paying attention," she admitted.

"And?"

"And I was running in the house even though I'm not supposed to."

He crouched down next to her. "Any blood?"

She looked up defiantly. "No!" Seeing the look he gave her, she sighed again. "A little."

"Come on." He stood up and held his hand out to her, which she reluctantly took. They headed into the Nemo-themed bathroom she and her sister shared and Grace was lifted to sit on the counter by the sink.

"How many times have we been through this?"

"I don't know. A million and a half I think. But I can't help it daddy, you know I like to run."

Oh yes, he did know. Unlike her nine-year-old sister, Grace was a wild child. She was the daredevil, the one who could care less how many times she got hurt because, in her mind, the injury was worth whatever fun she had in the process of getting it. She currently held the family record of the most band-aids used, which was quite a title considering she was related to Uncle Seth.

"But you know that when we say it's time for bed that doesn't mean a race around the house," Ryan reminded her. By now it was as if they were rehearsing a scene. Occurrences like these were so often they both knew exactly what their lines were.

Grace nodded. "I'm sorry daddy."

"I know munchkin. But you know what this means."

"Fifteen minutes in the corner tomorrow after school," she recited dully. "Yeah, I know." At least she hadn't broken anything. When she broke the vase a few weeks ago she had to sit there for a whole hour. And for a child who couldn't sit still for more than a few seconds, that was the worst punishment ever.

Ryan placed a shiny purple band-aid over the small cut on his daughter's knee. "Alright, bed. And this time I mean-"

"Walk, not run," she finished. "And you and mommy will be in to say goodnight in exactly ten minutes."

He chuckled. "You got it." The two parted ways and Ryan soon entered the bedroom he and his wife shared. Marissa was currently propped up against the bed's headboard, the TV was on in front of her but she seemed oblivious to it.

"Tired?"

She laughed. "That's an understatement. I picked the kids up from school and dropped Amy at ballet, Gracie at gymnastics, and then Noah and I went grocery shopping. Then I picked the girls up on the way back, came home and helped them with their homework while I cooked dinner." She paused. "Did I hear a crash a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah, someone was running again." Ryan explained.

Marissa frowned. "Blood? Broken bones or furniture?"

"A little blood and nothing broken. But she has fifteen minutes tomorrow."

"Well, that's not bad for Gracie."

"Is Noah asleep?" Noah Seth Atwood was three years old and the youngest member of the Atwood clan.

She nodded. "Out like a light. I think pre-school wore him out. Amy is in her room reading."

"Gracie just went to climb in bed." He held his hand out and helped pull her up to a standing position. The two started their nightly routine, first stopping to check on Noah and kiss his forehead quietly, and then moving to Grace's room where she was sitting in bed, having a conversation with her stuffed animals.

"Charlie doesn't think I should have to sit in the corner tomorrow," she announced to her parents.

Marissa smiled. "Well you can tell Charlie that when he has his own house he can make the rules. But until then, you have to sit in the corner."

The small girl glanced at her pink monkey. "We're out of luck," she told him sadly.

Ryan laughed and kissed her forehead. "Night munchkin. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Marissa said repeating his actions.

"I won't! If they do I'll-"

"Gracie," they both warned.

She sighed. "Goodnight."

They found Amy in her usual position in the blue beanbag chair near her window, a book in her hands.

"Lights out Aims," Marissa said as they entered.

The oldest of the three blonde-headed children sighed. "Ten more minutes?"

Ryan shook his head. "It's a school night. Sorry kiddo."

"Darn it." She placed her bookmark in between the two pages she was currently on and set the book on her nightstand before climbing into bed. "Night mom. Night dad. Love you."

"Love you too," they echoed, each placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, and Amy?"

She looked up to meet her father's gaze. "Yeah dad?"

"I saw that A you got on your math test. That's awesome. I'm really proud of you."

Amy grinned. "Thanks daddy. Goodnight."

"Night angel."

"Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I could go and be an architect tomorrow," Marissa announced as they lay in bed a few minutes later.

Ryan wrapped an arm around her, moving so that she was pressed against him. "Why's that?"

"Because I'm going on Gracie's field trip to the zoo. Imagine fifty more of her in the same place."

"Oh god." He shuddered. "What about the other two?"

"Summer said she would pick up Noah from pre-school since Charlie is in the same building." Charles Sanford Cohen was five years old. He currently attended the same pre-school as Noah, but he was in the Kindergarten room whereas Noah was still a few years too young. Charlie's older sister Madison was in the same class as Grace, but had a personality more like Amy's.

"And we'll be back before school lets out so I'll just grab Amy and Maddy and go over to hang out and switch back our rightful children."

Ryan shook his head. "That sounds complicated."

She shrugged. "Not really. Summer invited us over for dinner anyway and you know how she's been lately, so I couldn't exactly refuse." Summer was currently three months pregnant with her and Seth's third (and last, she swore to it) child. She, like Marissa, was currently not working, instead staying home to take care of the kids.

Marissa had been a high school guidance counselor and Summer an interior designer at the Newport Group many years ago. Then the kids came and work seemed to be too much to juggle. So after a few discussions with her husband, Marissa decided to stay home permanently and Summer soon followed in her footsteps.

Ryan was also working at the Newport Group (it was he who had gotten Summer interested in the first place) where he was now a partner, alongside Kirsten Cohen and, to everyone's surprise, Julie Cooper. Kirsten worked with Ryan on the construction side of things while Julie, after achieving her degree, took care of the business aspect of the company. Sandy was still at the public defender's office, deciding that even though it was stressful, the feeling he got from helping kids in need was enough of a reason to stay.

Seth was in his element. Not long before Maddy had arrived, Zach Stevens (his new girlfriend in town, who turned out to be Anna Stern, later admitted that they had met at a college frat party and clicked instantly) turned up in attempt to reconcile his partnership with Seth and Atomic County. A few months later Madison Avery Cohen was born and Atomic Comics was back up and running, becoming an instant success. Seth and Zach were currently busy working on the ever expanding storyline of the comic book and a movie was even in talks.

Kaitlyn Cooper was now 28 years old and sharing an apartment with Brad and Eric Ward, who, not long after high school, ended up coming out of the closet. Kaitlyn worked with a local record label to help promote up-and-coming bands while the twins were on the Athletic Staff at The Harbor School.

The next morning brought sunshine and by seven thirty a.m. the Atwood family was sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal, the kids chattering away happily.

"Okay, hurry up. We need to get moving." Marissa said standing up and putting things away. "Kids! Bowls in the sink, jackets on and grab your backpacks and lunchboxes. We're leaving in five minutes."

"You ready for a day at the zoo?" Ryan asked coming up and putting his arms on her waist.

"I think so. I have a backpack with juice and water and snacks, Seth lent me a lifeguard whistle he had, cell phone, sunscreen, wallet, chapstick, tissues…" she listed. "Yeah, I think I'm ready."

"Well just in case…" he handed her a bottle of Tylenol, causing her to grin.

"You're the best husband ever. Definitely my favorite today."

Ryan laughed. "What about yesterday?"

"Eh, top ten. What can I say? You have a lot of competition." She grinned and leaned in to kiss him. "I love you," she murmured against his lips.

"I love you too," he said quietly. "Call me at lunch so I know you're alive, okay?"

"I promise." They stood there for a minute just smiling at each other, before she was forced to pull away. "Kiddos! The Atwood Express is leaving right now!"

The three children ran into the kitchen, backpacks on their shoulders and lunchboxes in hand.

Marissa glanced them each over to make sure that no one had forgotten anything or put shoes on the wrong feet (Noah had been extremely grumpy that morning before they discovered the problem).

"Okay, kiss daddy goodbye and hop in the van," she instructed.

"Love you dad," Amy said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Grace followed. "Me too! I love you too!"

"And me!" Noah repeated. "I love you most!"

Marissa rolled her eyes as the three headed outside to climb into the black van, still arguing about who loved their father the most.

"Good luck," Ryan said, giving her one last quick kiss.

"Thanks. I'll need it." She grabbed her backpack and keys from the counter and headed out the door.

**-OC-**

Ryan arrived at Seth and Summer's house at precisely six o'clock that evening. He was greeted at the door by five very hyper children.

"Mommy, mommy! We did like you told us and looked out the window first to see who it was!"

"Hi Daddy!"

"Uncle Ryan! The zoo was so much fun today- you should have come!"

"We saw a walrus!"

"I got to be the special helper today!"

"Disperse!" Summer yelled, walking over to rescue her brother-in-law. "Go play upstairs and we'll call you when dinner's ready!"

"DINNER!"

"What are you cooking mommy?"

"Can I have extra?"

"I don't like it!"

"She didn't even say what it was, stupid."

"Don't call me stupid!"

"ENOUGH!" The kids finally went quiet when Summer really added volume. "Go upstairs RIGHT NOW or I'm putting on the video!"

Five deathly screams were heard as the children flew up the stairs.

"What video?" Ryan questioned as he finally entered the house and followed her to the living room. He kissed Marissa hello and sat down next to her on the couch.

"I threatened make them watch the video of me giving birth to Maddy." Summer said nonchalantly. "I figure it's a good threat until they're… well, forever."

Marissa laughed. "You know they're going to flip when they find out that video doesn't exist."

"Shh! They might hear you! Besides, if I have to I'll find one online or something."

Ryan shook his head and decided to switch subjects. "How was the zoo?"

Marissa rolled her eyes. "I came close to downing the entire bottle of Tylenol. It was insane. Kids screaming and running everywhere…" she shook her head. "Never again," she said firmly. "Never, ever, ever again."

He laughed. "Baby I'm sorry."

"Hello friends who are also family and beautiful wife," Seth greeted as he entered the house, carrying three bags filled with take-out containers.

"Hi sweetie. Great, dinner's ready!" Summer kissed him quickly before nudging him towards the kitchen. "I set the tables so we're ready to eat." She walked to the intercom system on the wall and pressed the button. "Attention short people: Dinner has arrived. Repeat: Get down here or starve."

To some, Summer's parenting seemed harsh. But many didn't realize that she was actually an amazing mother. But having to deal with hyper children, along with Seth, who she sometimes considered another child, had taught her to be firm. Simple misdemeanors were easy to avoid, as long as her husband and kids did as she asked. When they decided to act up, however, rage blackouts tended to surface. Luckily Summer never resulted to physical violence with her kids, often sending them to time-out or up to their rooms while she cooled off. Unfortunately, for Seth, she rarely kept her anger vocal, instead throwing whatever was closest to her. At the end of the day though, Summer couldn't have been happier with her life.

"Sum, I thought you said you were cooking," Marissa questioned as she took her seat at the table.

"Oh, I was. But then I realized we desperately need to go grocery shopping, and I didn't feel like it so I called that Italian place downtown and ordered."

"Ahh. Well it looks good."

The adults quickly got to fixing plates for the kids, dishing out heaps of spaghetti, ravioli, fettuccini, and lasagna and passing around a basket of breadsticks. Drinks were poured and Sippy cups handed out before everyone finally was able to sit down and eat.

The grown-ups were sitting at the dining room table while Summer had set up a foldable plastic picnic table in the corner for the kids, who often claimed that sitting with them was 'boring' because all they did was talk about things they didn't understand. Seth usually remarked that they felt the same way and that at least they could all reach the cookie jar on the top shelf, which caused a war of many tongues being stuck out.

"Cohen, quit it! You're so childish sometimes."

The brunette dropped his head. "Yes dear."

Ryan glanced around the room and couldn't help but smile. It was loud, eccentric, nerve-wracking, and extremely chaotic.

And yet, somehow, he'd never been happier.

**-OC-**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please don't forget to review.**


	3. Three

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"WHY?"

"Because you are stupid and weird and the most annoying person on the planet!"

"No, YOU'RE stupid!"

"Oh my God, get out!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I'm your big sister, you have to do what I say!"

"Wrong! I only have to listen to Mom and Dad! You're not the boss of me!"

"I am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"ARE NOT!"

"AM TOO!"

"BOTH OF YOU STOP YELLING RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR YOU WON'T SEE ANYTHING BUT THE WALLS OF YOUR BEDROOMS FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS!"

Marissa Cooper sighed and laid her head back against the couch. Her husband was next to her, also forced to listen to the never-ending arguments of their thirteen and eleven year old daughters.

"Your turn to go up" She told him.

"No way, I took them yesterday when they argued over the hairbrush." He reminded her. "It's your turn."

"Nooo." She groaned. "Not fair." She got up from the couch and slowly made her way upstairs to find the girls in Amy's room.

"Grace won't leave me alone." Her oldest announced.

Grace frowned "Amy won't hang out with me." She stated.

"Mom, I have important things to do. I need to call Megan so we can figure out what we're wearing to Nicole's party tomorrow."

The younger girl's eyes lit up "A party? Cool! Can I come?"

"NO! You're _eleven_, I'm _thirteen_. No babies allowed. Besides, I don't want you to embarrass me." She replied, as if the age difference was thirty years, rather than two.

"I won't embarrass you!" Grace said defiantly.

Amy snorted. "Right. Anyway, I'll never get Josh's attention if I have you following me around the entire time."

"Why would he pay attention to you? He seems to like that girl Krista."

Clearly this was a sore spot for Amy. "SHUT UP! Krista Simmons is a jerk!"

"You mean like you?"

"MOM!"

"Enough!" Marissa stepped between to two trying to referee their dispute.

"But Mom, Krista Simmons is my mortal enemy!"

"And Amy is being mean!"

"I am not; you're just a pain in the butt!"

"Mom! Amy just called me a-"

"QUIET!" The girls went quiet, clearly surprised to have their mother yelling so loud. "All you two do is argue and we're sick of it. Not just me, your dad and Noah too. That's why he's been so interested in going to friend's houses; he doesn't want to be home with you two!"

"I wondered where he went." Amy said quietly.

Grace nodded "Yeah, but it's kinda nice not having him around."

The older sister nodded her head in agreement.

Marissa shook her head disapprovingly. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Gracie, you are going to leave your sister alone, and that does not mean standing outside the door and listening while she talks on the phone. You're going to go upstairs and pack your suitcase because tomorrow night you and Noah are going to Aunt Summer and Uncle Seth's to stay the night."

"But Mom-"

"And Amy," Marissa ignored the cries from her youngest daughter. "You are going to call Megan and do whatever you need to do, but make sure that your bag is packed as well." After the party Amy's friend Megan had invited her to a sleepover at her house. Summer and Seth's daughter Madison was going along with a few other girls they went to school with. She had called Megan's parents a few days ago and, after being assured that there would be parental supervision, she was more than happy to allow Amy to attend.

"Now Noah knows about this and when he gets home in a few minutes, he's going to get his stuff ready too. And while you three are out tomorrow, your father and I are going out to celebrate our anniversary and enjoy the _quiet._" She emphasized the last word. "I don't care if you don't like it, I don't care if you think it's fair or not, and I certainly don't care whether or not you want to go. This is what's going to happen and that is that. And we're all going to put on smiles and act happy about it or you'll both be grounded until you have your own kids." She smiled tightly. "Any questions?"

The girls stared up at their mother, who was clearly at the end of her ropes. Silently they shook their heads.

"Good. Go. Now." She looked at Grace, clearly instructing her to exit the room first.

Grace sighed. "Fine, I'm going."

Marissa turned to Amy, stopping at the doorway.

"Off the phone by nine." She instructed.

"Can't I get a few extra minutes?" her daughter pleaded. "Please mom? Pretty, pretty please?"

Marissa thought about it. "Nine fifteen, not a minute later." She decided finally.

"Yes! You're the best mom ever!"

She rolled her eyes as she pulled the door closed. Sure, she was the best mom ever. Until she didn't get her way again, which would cause the title to flip to the _worst _mom ever. With Amy it was always switching.

She saw Grace slumped against the wall in the hallway, pouting and clearly feeling sorry for herself.

"You stay like that too long and your face will freeze that way." She told her, pointing to her daughter's frown.

"I don't care." She grumbled. "I'm going to sit here forever."

Marissa nodded solemnly. "Well, at least you're near the bathroom." And with that, she continued on her way. By now, Ryan and Marissa had learned that it was easier to let Grace brood for a while and let her work things out herself, because trying to reason with her was just a waste of time.

When Marissa returned back to the living room she saw her son sitting on Ryan's lap, talking animatedly.

"And then we played basketball and Trevor's older brother helped me dunk it!" he said excitedly.

"That's great buddy."

Noah nodded eagerly. "Hey Dad, can we trade Grace and Amy for two brothers?"

Ryan laughed. "Sorry buddy, no can do."

The boy pouted. "Why not? Brothers are more fun and they fight less."

"That may be true, but Gracie and Amy are what God gave us and we love them. You can't just exchange people."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He finally grumbled. "When's dinner?"

"Twenty minutes; just enough time for you to go upstairs and pack for Aunt Summer and Uncle Seth's. And remember to pack clothes this time, not just toys!" she called after him.

"You know you're going to have to check his bag before they leave, right?" Ryan said once Noah had gone to his room.

Marissa nodded. "Oh yeah, I'll check the girls' and you can check his after dinner."

"Sounds good. What are we having?"

"Chili; Anna made some earlier and dropped it off. She made too much. And I was hoping you could make some of your famous grilled cheese to go with it."

He pretended to think about it. "Let's see…. I can probably manage that."

**-OC-**

Though the next twenty-four hours seemed to pass slowly, Marissa and Ryan soon pulled into Seth and Summer's driveway, the kids and their bags in back.

"Amy you might as well come inside, we're going to go in and talk with them for a few minutes." Marissa said as she got out of the car.

"Mom, I'm going to be late!"

"No, you're going to be early. Megan's house isn't that far away. Now come on."

Ryan helped the other two children pull their duffle bags and backpacks out of the trunk and the family made their way to the front door, which was now wide open with Madison and Seth waving at them.

"Welcome to the Cohen Children's Hotel!" Seth greeted them. "Grace, you'll be staying in the princess suit with Maddy, and Noah get's the dude's resort with Charlie." He glanced down at the kids. "Who should I make the bill out to?"

Grace laughed. "Uncle Seth, you're such a goof ball."

"Why thank you Gracie. Maddy, why don't you take them upstairs so they can put their stuff down?"

The small girl nodded, her dark chocolate brown curls bouncing. "Okay."

"Hey guys!" Summer hobbled in, a child clinging around each of her legs. It turned out that the last time she got pregnant, she ended up having twins. Candace and McKenna were now four.

Marissa smiled and leaned in to hug her best friend.

"Thanks again for doing this."

"Oh it's no problem Coop. Just remember that when our anniversary rolls around, it's your turn."

She laughed. "Deal."

"Aims, you sure you don't want to stay here?"

Amy shook her head. "No thanks Aunt Summer. This party is a 'can't miss'."

Summer nodded. "I totally understand. We'll have lunch soon and you can fill me in."

"Okay. Can we go now?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we'd better go before she has a heart attack."

"Alright, I'm coming." Marissa gave her friends another hug. "Gracie! Noah! We're leaving!"

"Kay!"

"Bye Mom!"

Marissa sighed. "Well I hope they don't cry for too long." She said dryly. "Thanks guys. We'll see you later."

"Bye!"

"Have fun!"

They soon reached Megan's house and stopped in to talk to her parents for a few minutes before getting back in the car and heading home to change for their night out.

"Where are we going?" Marissa questioned. "I thought you said you made reservations at The Arches."

"I lied." He said smoothly.

"Well where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

And soon she did see, but that didn't make her any less confused. "Why are we at Sandy and Kirsten's house?"

"You know fifteen years ago we got married?" He pulled to a stop a way down the road and helped her out. "And then eight years before that I came to Newport and everything changed. Well, it started to change right about…there."

Marissa's eyes glanced to where he pointed and she gasped. There, at the end of the driveway, was a table and two chairs, set up and ready for dining. "Ryan," she said breathlessly. "You did all this?"

"I had some help." he mumbled. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" her eyes were bright and excitement clearly radiated throughout her entire body. "Ryan it's perfect. One of the most romantic things you've ever done."

Ryan smiled, clearly relieved, and led her over to the table. After holding the chair out for her, he popped open the bottle of champagne and removed the lids from the serving dishes.

"Mac-n-cheese!" she laughed. "You really did plan this perfectly."

"And you haven't even seen the best part."

Marissa grinned. "Who are you?"

"Whoever you want me to be." He replied sincerely. They ate their dinner quietly, talking lightly about various topics, but mostly just enjoying the alone time and peacefulness of it all.

"So, before we have dessert," Ryan leaned down beside him where Marissa noticed a picnic basket near his feet. He pulled a small box from the basket and set it on the table. "Happy Anniversary."

She playfully shook the box. "Is it a puppy?"

"Yeah. I had to pack it in really tight though, so watch out."

"Wow, you've been hanging out with Seth too much. Be careful, you might accidently get a sense of humor."

Ryan laughed. "Just open the box."

"Okay," she tore off the silver paper and opened the red velvet box and gasped.

"They say that fifteen is the year for crystal, I think." He stated quietly.

"Ryan, these are beautiful." She lifted the small teardrop earrings from the box carefully for closer inspection. "You shouldn't have spent so much money."

He glanced at her. "Why?"

"Because when you realize how much this and my gift cost put together we're going to be poor." She joked. "Here," she pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to him.

Inside he found, obviously, a card with a message inside telling how much she loved him. He also found a picture of a palm tree.

"Turn it over." She directed.

Ryan flipped the small paper over and examined the short note: **U + Me = 2wks, 5 day tiki hut**

He looked back up at her. "I'm assuming there is an explanation to your cryptic code?"

Marissa laughed. "Two weeks from now you and me are going on a vacation to Hawaii for five days."

"Just the two of us?"

"Yep."

"What about-"

"Amy is staying with my Mom, Kaitlyn is taking Gracie, and Kirsten and Sandy are watching Noah. I figured it wouldn't be right to leave Seth and Summer with seven kids for a week and it would be easier to split them up because they wouldn't fight. The kids already know about it because I told them this morning and since they'll get to be only children for a week and be with relatives that will let them get away with anything they seemed excited."

He shook his head. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She shrugged. "I try."

**-OC-**

**This is only part one of the chapter! Next part will be about the kids while their parents are away!**


	4. Three Point Two

"Have I said lately how much of a genius you are?" Ryan questioned.

Marissa shook her head lazily. "I don't know."

"Well, you're a genius. And I love you."

"I love you too." She grinned as their lips met. They were currently lying out on the resort's private beach under the beautiful Hawaiian sun. It was only day two of their getaway and so far, they had yet to leave the resort.

"Do you think the kids are doing okay?" she finally asked.

"Mhmm, we left them in capable hands, I'm sure they're fine. And we split them up, how much trouble can they be if they're not together?"

**-OC- **

"Grace? Gracie? Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Kaitlyn Cooper called out as she walked around her apartment. "Seriously kid, it was cute at first but now it just getting ridiculous." It had been almost thirty minutes since Grace had declared a game of hide-and-seek, and Kaitlyn had yet to find her niece. "Come on, I'm hungry! Come out of your hiding place and we can go eat."

"Do I get dessert?" Grace finally called.

Kaitlyn's head whipped around. "Where are you?"

"Answer my question. Do I get dessert?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just come out!"

"Promise?"

"I promise! You can have whatever you want."

"Okay!" Not ten seconds later Kaitlyn jumped, Grace having tapped her shoulder from behind.

"Where were you?"

Grace laughed. "Like I would tell you."

Kaitlyn frowned. "Good point. Okay, come on. Brad and Eric are meeting us at Arrowheads."

"I don't like it there."

"Have you ever been there before?"

"No."

She sighed. "It's a grill; you know, with big TV's with sports on them and burgers?"

Grace looked at her skeptically. "I don't know…"

"They have arcade games and we'll go for ice cream afterwards." She added.

"Can I have Mountain Dew and a burger and fries and lots of ketchup?"

"Kid, you can drink the whole damn bottle of ketchup if you want."

"Okay, let's go!" Grace grabbed her purse from the counter and followed her aunt out the door. "Mommy said you're not supposed to say bad words."

"Yeah well, she also said not to give you sugar or let you stay up late. I won't tell on you if you won't tell on me, deal?"

"Deal. Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese tomorrow?"

Kaitlyn thought about this. "Do they serve beer at Chuck E. Cheese?"

**-OC-**

"Yes! I win!" Amy cried triumphantly.

Julie frowned. "Crap! I thought I had you. Rematch?"

"Sure." She began moving the various pieces to re-start the game. "You know, Grace always tries to cheat when we play Mall Madness."

"Well, Gracie is like your Aunt Kaitlyn. She likes to win."

"It's annoying. She always bugs me."

"I know sweetie. Trust me, I have a sister too and she's a pain."

"You know, you're really cool Aunt Julie."

Julie smiled. "Thank you. You're pretty cool too." Ever since Amy had been born Julie had despised the term 'grandma', claiming she was way too young to coin the name. So she insisted the kids call her Aunt instead.

"I'm kind of hungry."

"Well, how about after the game we go out to eat?" she suggested. "I know the cutest little café where they serve chicken salad on crescents."

Amy's eyes lit up. "That sounds great!"

"Oh, and afterwards we can stop at that boutique next door. They have the most adorable things, and you deserve some new things. You're a teenager for god's sake."

"Really? You don't have to."

Julie scoffed. "Oh please, whether or not I say it often I am your grandmother and I will spoil you as much as I like. Besides, your parents are gone for the week; it's only natural for you to get your way and take advantage of everyone." She pulled her Visa Gold from her purse and waved it. "What do you say?"

**-OC-**

"That was AWSOME!" Noah yelled as he and his grandparents exited the movie theater. "Did you see the part where the sharks came and almost ate the guy?"

"I saw! It was crazy!" Sandy agreed. They had just seen the newest shark film at the IMAX Theater. "And when the guy fell out of the boat?"

"I liked the parts with all the colorful fish." Kirsten spoke up as they climbed into the car. "There were so many!"

"There was a million and twenty! And someday I'm gonna see them all!"

"Are you? Well you'd better be a good swimmer." Sandy warned.

Noah nodded vigorously. "I am. Mommy and Daddy already made me take the classes, I'm good!"

Kirsten smiled. "You want to go back to the house and show us? We can all go swimming."

"YEAH!"

"Great. We can pick up something to eat on the way." Sandy decided.

"I'm starving. Can we get hamburgers Grandpa?"

"Kid, we can get whatever you want. Where do you want a burger from?"

Noah paused and thought about this. "The Bait Shop?"

"Bait Shop it is. I'll head to the drive through right now.

"Thanks! You guys are the best."

Kirsten laughed. "You're welcome honey."

Sandy was about to agree when his cell phone rang.

"Hello? Hey kiddo, how's island life? Great. How's Marissa doing? Good to know. Yeah, we're fine here. Just saw a shark movie and about to grab some burgers and go swimming. Yeah, sure. Hang on." He held the phone towards the back seat. "It's your dad." He informed the boy.

Noah smiled and took the phone. "Hi daddy!"

"_Hey buddy, are you having fun with grandma and grandpa?"_

"Yeah! Yesterday we went to the beach and today we saw a movie and we're getting Bait Shop and swimming and watching _Finding Nemo_ tonight!"

"_That's awesome."_

"What are you and Mommy doing?"

"_We're lying out on the beach and I think we might go see a movie tonight."_

"That's cool. Can I talk to her?"

Ryan laughed. _"Sure, hang on." _There was a muffled sound of the phone being passed before Marissa's voice came through the line.

"_Hey baby. How are you?" _

Noah stayed on the line for another few minutes having basically the same conversation with his mother, finally hanging up and sending his parents both hugs and kisses over the phone and promising to stay on his best behavior.

"Yeah, you guys have fun." Kirsten said nodding as she talked to Marissa. "Nine o'clock, of course. Okay, love you too. Bye."

"I don't really have to go to bed at nine do I grandma?"

Sandy laughed. "Of course not kid."

**-OC-**

"-and then he wouldn't give me his number!"

Kaitlyn sighed. "Dude, seriously, you act way too desperate."

"I am desperate." Brad reminded her.

She frowned. "Good point. Well, you still have to act like you're not. I mean, if you ever want to get a date you're going to have to stop being so goddamn pathetic."

"Here you go." The waitress stopped at the booth they were currently sitting at and placed two mugs of beer and one of Mountain Dew in front of them. "Eric said this round is on him. Apparently things are going okay with the guy he's talking to."

Kaitlyn nodded. "Cool. Thanks Trina."

"No problem."

"So back to your pathetic love life, Eric doesn't act so desperate. Therefore people take an interest in him."

"You aren't exactly a guy magnet either."

Kaitlyn scoffed. "Please. I could have any straight man in this building in a second. I, unlike you, am enjoying being single."

"You're thirty-one years old and haven't had a stable relationship in years." Brad said pointedly. "Don't you want to get married and have kids?"

"Why? If I get married then I'm stuck with one person for the rest of my life. And kids can be annoying. Besides, if I want any I can just borrow my sister's." As if on cue Gracie ran up to the table.

"Hi! Guess what? I just scored really high on Ms. Pac Man EXTREME. And now I need someone to play air hockey with!"

"Brad will play you, my phone is buzzing." Kaitlyn told her.

Grace smiled. "Okay! Come on Uncle Brad!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him away, much to his protest.

"Hello?"

"_Kaitlyn?"_

"Marissa?"

"_Where are you? I can barely hear you!"_

"Hang on." Kaitlyn headed to the front of the restaurant and stepped outside. "Better?"

"_Loads. What's going on?"_

Kaitlyn pulled a cigarette from her purse and lit it. "Nothing. We're just up at Arrowheads hanging out."

"_With Gracie?"_

"Yeah."

"_You took my ten-year-old to a sports bar?!"_

She took a drag from the cigarette. "Chill Riss, it's not like I'm letting her do shots. She's having a burger and playing arcade games with Brad."

"_Are you drinking?"_

"No." she lied. "I'm having coke. Jeez, what kind of Aunt do you think I am?"

"_The kind I know way too well. Can I talk to Gracie?"_

"She's kind of in the middle of an air hockey match, but hang on." Kaitlyn made her way inside and over to the air hockey table. She held the phone to her niece's ear as she continued to play, shouting to be heard over the music.

"Hello? Hey Mom, yeah I'm fine. Aunt Kaitlyn is the coolest! What? No, she hasn't been smoking or drinking or anything else. Nope, no cussing either. Of course not. Yeah, just a plain hamburger and cheese fries. Water. I think we're going home after, so we can go to sleep. Okay, I will. I promise. I love you too. No, just tell daddy I love him. Okay, bye." She signaled to her aunt that she was done, and Kaitlyn put the phone back to her own ear.

"Yeah, okay. We'll be fine Riss, go back to that fine husband of yours and relax. No, I wasn't trying to talk dirty. Okay, bye." She let out a huge groan after hanging up. "Kid, your mom is annoying."

"She means well, though." Grace reminded her.

"Yeah, I guess. Hurry up, I'm ready for my Gold Metal Ribbon."

"I want a sundae with extra cherries and chocolate sauce."

"Well you can't have it if we never leave. Go pull Eric away from his new boyfriend when you're done and come find me so we can go."

**-OC-**

"Yeah, and now we're shopping." Amy said into her cell phone as she looked through a rack of clothes.

"_Are you being good?"_

"Yes mom, I promise. I even told her that going shopping wasn't necessary, but she said that she would spoil me as much as she wanted."

Marissa laughed. _"Well, it's good that you're being polite. That's very grown-up of you. You're having fun?"_

"Yeah, it's been great. And later Aunt Julie said we would get frozen yogurt and tomorrow we're getting mani-pedi's! But how are you doing? Is Hawaii fun?"

"_Hawaii is amazing honey. The view is absolutely gorgeous and it's very peaceful."_

"Are you taking pictures for us?"

"_Lots and lots. I promise."_

"Okay, good. I'm gonna let you get back to relaxing. Love you Mom."

"_I love you too sweetie." _

Julie walked over just as her granddaughter closed the phone. "Is your Mom doing okay?"

Amy nodded. "She said it's really pretty and quiet."

"Well, that's good. Here, I found a few more things for you to try on." She held up an armful of clothes and Amy grinned. She could get used to this only child stuff.

**-OC-**

"I have to say, I really like this anniversary present." Marissa said later that night.

They were currently seated in one of the resort's many restaurants, sharing various small pots of fondue.

"Yeah, it's pretty incredible." Ryan agreed. "I've missed you."

She smiled. "I've missed you too. We need to start making more time for each other."

"What if we asked Amy to babysit once a week? You know she'd like the extra money." He suggested.

Marissa's face lit up. "You want to bring back Date Night! Ryan that's a great idea."

"Glad you think so." He grabbed his wine glass and held it up to tap hers. "To Date Night."

"To Date Night!" she echoed. They clinked glasses and took a drink.

"Here," he picked up a strawberry and dipped it in chocolate sauce, holding it to her lips.

Marissa took a small bite. "Really good."

He leaned in and softly kissed her. "Yes it is."

She laughed. "Ryan Atwood are you starting to think dirty?"

"You better believe it Marissa Atwood." He mocked.

She sighed lovingly. "You know even after all this time it still makes me giddy when you say that."

"Marissa Atwood," he repeated softly. "Marissa Atwood, Marissa Atwood."

"God, I love you so much."

Ryan nodded, his eyes filled with the same intensity as hers. "I love you too."

He grabbed a passing waitress and quickly asked her to put the cost of the meal to their tab for the hotel before taking his wife's hand. The two wore matching grins as they raced back towards the elevator.


	5. Age Chart

Okay, having to keep up with everyone's ages is really confusing. So I've made a chart for myself so I can easily tell how old everyone is at each part of the story and, for your convenience, I'm also going to start posting everyone's ages at the beginning of each new chapter. But since I haven't done that for the chapters I already have up, I'm going to post this guide to help you out. I hope it makes things easier. Much love and happy reading! -hpfangurl12993

AGES:

**CHAPTER 1:**

Fab Four – 23

Amy – newborn

All the other kids – not born yet

**CHAPTER 2:**

Fab Four - 32

Amy – 9

Grace – 7

Noah – 3

Charlie – 5

Maddy- 7

Candace and McKenna – not born yet

**CHAPTER 3 and 3.2:**

Fab Four – 35

Kaitlyn - 31

Amy – 13

Grace – 11

Noah – 7

Charlie – 9

Maddy – 11

Candace and McKenna – 4


	6. Four

**Hello amazing readers! Here is Four and, as promised, the list of everyone's ages this chapter!**

**Fab Four – 40; Kaitlyn – 36; Amy – 18; Grace – 16; Noah – 12; Charlie – 14; Maddy – 16; Candace and McKenna – 9.**

**-OC-**

"Do I look pretty, mom?"

Marissa took a deep breath, trying to blink back the tears in her eyes. "You look amazing honey."

Amy smiled from where she was standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Let me take a few more pictures."

"Mom," Amy rolled her eyes but posed, grinning for the camera.

"Okay, save some for later." Ryan walked in and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "You need to finish getting ready."

"And I have to go. I'm stopping at Megan's for a few minutes." Amy grabbed her bag on her way out the door. "I'll see you guys at the ceremony!"

"Bye sweetie!" Marissa turned to her husband. "When did she get so grown-up?"

"I think it happened sometime over the last eighteen years." He chuckled. "You really need to go."

"Oh!" Marissa's hands flew up to her head, where they met a mop of untamed hair. "I'll be down in twenty minutes!" she called, dashing up the stairs.

**-OC-**

"Over here!" Marissa waved her hands frantically from her seat, trying to gain her friend's attention. "Sum!"

Summer looked over and waved back, heading over to the empty row of seats. "Sorry we're cutting it so close, someone had a fashion crisis." She glanced at Maddy.

"What? I couldn't find my other shoe!" she said indignantly as she sat down next to Grace.

Summer rolled her eyes and took the empty seat next to Marissa, while Seth sat on the opposite end next to Ryan. To Seth's right was Sandy, then Kirsten, and Julie rounded off the end. In the row right in front of them sat Charlie, Noah, McKenna, Candace, Maddy, and Grace. The entire clan of fourteen took up two whole rows and everyone was dressed in their nice clothes, eager to see Amy achieve this milestone.

"Oh, here they come!"

The familiar tune of Pomp and Circumstance began to play as the two lines of graduates made their way out to the quad. Among the sea of blue and fuscha robes Seth finally managed to point out Amy, causing everyone to wave and camera's to go off.

Dean Torres took the stage first, giving a speech about how proud she was of everyone for making it this far and all the great things to come. Next was the valedictory speech given by Lisa D'Amato and then came time for the diplomas.

"Shawn Abbot, Mitchell Adams, Jessica Albertson, Maria Anderson, Madison Andrews…"

"How many damn kids can have last names that start with A?" Summer whispered, frustrated.

"Amy Atwood…"

The two rows of family stood up and cheered as Amy walked across the stage and accepted her diploma. She smiled at her family for a second, letting them take a few quick pictures, before moving her tassel to the other side of her hat and returning to her seat.

"Oh," Marissa sighed and sat back in her seat, a hand over her heart. "She's all grown up now. My baby's a high school graduate!"

"She'll be okay." Ryan wrapped an arm around her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "She's smart."

"Yeah Coop, she's a great kid. She'll do wonders." Summer added.

"Yeah, you're right." Marissa smiled and glanced up at the stage. "If we can make it through the rest of the alphabet."

The others nodded. It kind of sucked having a last name that started with the letter A because you always saw your kid first, which made the rest of the ceremony was just plain boring. Eventually, though, Gabriella Zabersky received her diploma and Dean Torres turned to the students.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you the _graduated_ Harbor Class!"

The students cheered and tossed their hats in the air as the rest of the crowd applauded.

**-OC-**

Later that evening a party was in full swing at the Atwood house with friends and family of the graduate in attendance. Seth had been barbequing anything he could get his hands on, music was playing, and in the center of the table sat a huge cake decorated with a picture of Amy in her kindergarten graduation robes, reading 'FROM KINDERGARTEN TO HIGH SCHOOL: YOU DID IT! CONGRATULATIONS AMY!' in purple icing.

"Okay, okay, time for presents!" Marissa laughed and guided Amy, who was wearing a pink plastic tiara for the occasion, to a chair set up on the deck for everyone to see. It was nearing ten o'clock and the grill had been long put out, so Seth was now in charge of videotaping the occasion now under the stars.

Amy dug into the bag nearest to her and pulled out a silver bracelet. "Oh my God, this is beautiful." She said breathlessly. "Thank you…" she glanced at the card and frowned. "Gracie?"

Grace gave a small wave and shrugged. "It's no big deal." She said quietly.

"Um, it is so a big deal. I thought you were mad at me because-"

"It doesn't matter." Grace interrupted. "I'm proud of you. You're my only sister after all."

Amy smiled, obviously touched, and got up to hug her sister.

"Hold it! Don't move!"

The girls groaned. "Uncle Seth!"

"No, don't Uncle Seth me! I was given the responsibility of capturing this momentous occasion and I'm doing that. Now stay still." He smiled happily after hearing the familiar click of the camera. "Okay, you may go."

Both girls rolled their eyes. Amy went on to open the rest of her presents, which included a laptop from her parents, an iTunes gift card from her cousins and brother, a new purse from Seth and Summer(Which, surprisingly, Seth had picked out), and plenty of other things.

"Thank you guys so much for everything. I couldn't have made it this far without all of you." Amy stood up from her chair and nervously wiped her hands on her jeans. "Um, I know that everyone's curious about where I'm going to college because I got a bunch of letters to places all over the country. And for the past few months I've been thinking it over and I've made my decision."

The group went quiet. Everyone had their own opinions of where Amy should go. Ryan and Marissa were rooting for Berkeley, Seth and Summer were all for Rhode Island, and Candace and McKenna wanted her desperately to go to the University of Florida ("So we can visit you and go to Disney World!" they had explained).

"I'm going to NYU." Amy announced, her voice shaking a bit. "I'm going to major in film studies and minor in journalism."

Marissa was the first to speak. "New York? But that's-"

"-on the other side of the country." Grace finished. "You're leaving us."

"No, it's not like that! Well, I mean, it kind of is but not really." She tried to explain. "Look, I'm not doing this to get away from you guys, or to get away from here. I love California and I love all of you more than I can say. But I need to do this for me. NYU has so many great opportunities and I need to do this for myself. I know I can be happy there and excel at what I love. I'll miss you all like crazy but I can't pass this up. This is the next step for me. Yes, it'll be hard but I know I can handle it. I'm ready."

Summer walked forward and pulled her into a tight hug. "You are going to do so well." She said firmly. "My niece is going to kick ass. Just be careful, that city is crawling with perverts."

Amy laughed. "Thank you Aunt Summer."

Her cousins came next, along with her grandparents and Uncle Seth.

"I'm gonna miss you." Noah said coming up to her.

Amy hugged him. "I'm going to miss you too. But I'll send you all kinds of cool stuff from New York."

Noah smiled shyly. "Okay."

"You promise to come home for Christmas?" Marissa whispered.

Amy nodded. "And everything else, even Arbor Day."

Marissa smiled. "Okay. Then I guess I can be okay with it."

Gracie stepped up next. "You have to call me at least twice a week."

"Three times. You'll be sick of me and want to change your number." She promised.

Grace shook her head. "Doubt it."

Finally only Ryan remained. Everyone else had gone inside so it was just the two of them out on the patio. Ryan glanced at his daughter standing in front of him, an adult now. He could have sworn she was just born yesterday, cradled in his arms in the tiny hospital room. He remembered her first word, her first steps, first smile, first bath, and the first time she found out she was going to be a big sister. Her first day of school, the first time she had come home with a broken heart, her first 'big girl' bed, and so much more. Over the course of eighteen years he had watched the baby girl from the hospital grow into a young woman.

He loved all of his children equally, of course, but Amy would always have that spot in his heart reserved for the first born. It was with her that he had messed up with countless times, having no clue what he was doing, acting simply on whatever popped into his head. She was the one that made him realize that he could go on only two hours of sleep in a night if necessary, that he could change a diaper without the need to vomit, and that going to a ballet recital was really, really awesome. She may not have known it, but Amy had given him just as many firsts as she had experienced herself and for that he would always be grateful.

He took a step towards her and glanced at his shoes, typical Ryan Atwood fashion, and said nothing.

Amy smiled sadly. "Oh Daddy," she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I love you so much. I promise to make you proud."

Ryan rested his face in the crook of her neck, trying to contain himself. She smelled like flowers.

"I'll always be proud of you." He said honestly.

"Promise not to forget me?" The childlike innocence and vulnerability in her voice broke his heart.

He tightened his grip around her. "Amy I could never forget you. Not ever, in the history of time. I promise."

"I love you daddy." The tears were clear in her voice.

"I love you too Aims." And surprisingly, his own.

**-OC-**

**This chapter was really short, I know. But I wrote everything I feel is needed in this situation. The next chapter will be the last, and it will be six years into the future. Reviews are love, I'm just saying. **


	7. Five

**Sandy, Kirsten, Julie, Jimmy, Neil- somewhere in their 60's, Fab Four – 46, Kaitlyn – 42, Amy – 24, Grace – 22, Noah – 18, Charlie – 20, Maddy – 22, Candace and McKenna – 15**

**Okay, I'm terrible at math so I think the ages and timing are correct. But if you notice a few errors with the numbers, ignore it. I did my best.**

**Tear! This is the end! I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it.**

**Without further ado, here is the final chapter to Living In The Moment….**

**-OC-**

"You look beautiful Coop." Summer pulled back from fixing a few loose pieces of her friend's hair and smiled. "Chino won't know what hit him."

Marissa glanced down at her long white dress and grinned. "You think so?"

"I'm your best friend! Would I lie to you?"

Marissa laughed. "Nope,"

"Right answer. Okay, it's almost time. Are you ready? Because there's no turning back now."

"Sum, I think we passed that a long time ago."

Summer nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Mom? Aunt Summer?" The door opened and Grace's head popped in. "Are you two finished? Because there's kind of a ceremony that's supposed to start soon."

Both girls turned to each other a final time to check over last-minute details.

"We're ready." Summer replied. "Go get in place, you're first. We're right behind you."

The opening chords to Journey's 'After All These Years' began to play as Grace made her way out the French doors to Seth and Summer's backyard. The pale pink dress she wore was similar, but not identical, to the ones worn by her sister and aunt as they followed after her carrying small bouquets of calla lilies. They each took their place before the small crowd, a tall arch behind them, while Ryan, Seth, and Noah stood on the opposite side.

Marissa began her decent last, wearing a simple, sleeveless white dress trailing at her feet. Her hair was in a low chignon and in her hands she carried a mix of white roses and irises. Her eyes remained straight forward, locked on the object of her affection. She soon reached the arch and passed her flowers to Summer, taking the hands of her love while the music died down and the reverend began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness a renewal of love and commitment between Ryan and Marissa." He looked at the couple. "When you first joined hands and hearts twenty five years ago, you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honor and cherish one another through all things. Life has surely brought you both wonderful blessings and difficult tribulations. Therefore, you have fulfilled your promise. So today, you stand here before all your friends and family to reaffirm the vows you took twenty five years ago. Marissa?" The reverend stepped back a bit as Summer passed her friend a note card.

Marissa took a deep breath and began to read the vows she had wrote a few weeks earlier. "Ryan, twenty five years ago I pledged my heart and soul to you, but it seems like only yesterday that we started this adventure. I promised to love and honor you, to comfort and keep you safe, and to always believe in you. I pledged to be by your side in sickness and in health, in times of wealth and poverty, for better or worse, for the rest of our lives. We have had all of those things, and you have stayed by my side as we created a family, a home, and a life together." She sniffed a bit, trying to continue and ignore the tears. "Today, at the beginning of our twenty sixth year as husband and wife, in the presence of God and our family and friends, I renew my vows to you. I promise to remain your lover, your partner, your best friend, and your other half. It doesn't matter whatever else life brings us, because as long as we're together I have no insecurities or doubts."

The reverend smiled. "That was very nice. Ryan?"

Ryan looked down at his own note card, his voice shaking a little due to the fear of public speaking. "Marissa, we've been through a lot together. Since the day we met at the end of that driveway nothing between us has ever been easy. But if there's one thing that has never been complicated it's the love I have for you. And even through all of the rough spots and complications, I can honestly say I have loved you every step of the way. I'm not promising it's going to be easy, because real things of value and worth take effort, but I can promise that it will be worth it. Today, I reconfirm everything I said twenty five years ago. I promise to love and cherish you every day that we live because you are and have always been my whoever I want you to be. I have been blessed for the last twenty five years and am thrilled that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you."

_A faded wedding photograph  
You and me in our first dance  
Our eyes are closed  
We're lost in one sweet embrace  
Since those days the world has changed  
But our love remains the same  
God knows we've had our share of saving grace _

"As a symbol of their love's growth and unity, Ryan and Marissa have chosen to engrave the inside of their wedding bands." The reverend announced. "Marissa, take Ryan's hand and repeat after me. I, Marissa, take you Ryan,"

"I Marissa, take you Ryan,"

"To be my husband once again."

Marissa grinned and sniffed a bit, her voice now choked. "To be my husband once again."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

She slid the ring onto his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Ryan, take Marissa's hand and repeat after me. I, Ryan, take you Marissa,"

"I Ryan, take you Marissa,"

"To be my wife once again."

He stared into her eyes. "To be my wife once again."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." He took the ring Seth passed him and slipped it back onto Marissa's finger. They had decided that both rings would have the same thing engraved in them. Each now read, 'Forever Yours".

The reverend smiled and looked out at the small group of people gathered before him. "Ladies and gentlemen, for the _second_ time, I am pleased to present Mr. and Mrs. Ryan and Marissa Atwood."

Ryan grinned. "Again?"

The reverend laughed. "Yes sir, again indeed."

The music turned back up as Ryan pulled his bride into a passionate kiss. Summer handed back Marissa's bouquet as they headed back down the aisle and took Seth's arm to follow them out. Noah, Grace, and Amy were last, each girl taking an arm from their brother as he escorted them both back to the house.

_And I'm proud of all the blessings  
You have given me  
The mountains we have climbed to get this far  
You've learned to take the laughter with the tears  
After all these years _

Later that evening a party was in full swing. Decorated in the traditional 25th anniversary color of silver, Seth and Summer's house literally shined. It was only family and close friends in attendance, but these days that still amounted to quite a few people.

"Excuse me? Can we have everybody's attention please?" Amy tapped the microphone as she stepped onto the small stage, her brother and sister behind her. "We just wanted to say a few words about our parents and this milestone that they've reached. Um," she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. "Ever since I was little my mom and dad have given me what I wanted. They have done everything in their power to make sure that the three of us were happy. I can remember asking my mom what made her happy when I was maybe ten years old. She just smiled at me and said that she had never been happier than she was then. When I asked why she said it was because she had met my dad and they got to create a life together and all she had ever wanted was someone to share her life with. They make each other happy. And to know that even after twenty five years they're just as in love as when they were teenagers…. Well, that makes me happy. Thank you guys for showing me what love really is." She raised her flute of apple juice and stepped back.

Amy was now twenty four years old and married to her husband of nearly two years, Jonathon Ellison. They had met during freshman year of college and fell in love. Fast forward a bit and Jonathon was now a middle school social studies teacher and Amy worked at a publishing company. A decent sized bump was also visible under her dress, allowing everyone to see that Samantha Grace Ellison was soon to expand the family even more.

At twenty two Grace was studying at UCLA to become a freelance photographer and living with her longtime boyfriend Mike. Her attitude was the same as when she was a child and, much to Marissa's disliking, she had turned out quite similar to Kaitlyn.

"Alright, I'm not a fan of public speaking so this will be quick." Grace announced as she walked up to the mic. "For as long as I can remember my parents have been gross." The audience laughed and Grace shrugged. "What? It's true. They've always been all touchy-feely with each other and it really grossed me out. I mean, they're your parents. You don't want to walk in on them making out when you're thirteen. Anyway, I realize now that it's kind of awesome that they still get all nervous and flustered with each other. It's nice to know they still really care. Gives me something to look up to." she raised her champagne flute and stepped back, allowing Noah to go forward.

Noah was now eighteen years old and fresh out of high school. He planned to following his Uncle's footsteps with a new job at Atomic Comics, where he would be working alongside Seth and Zach on the newest movie and learning the ins and outs of the business world.

"What's up? Uh, I'm really bad at this kind of thing so bear with me." He held his hands up in defense. "Mom and dad, what can I say? Grace kind of nailed it with the gross factor but Aims had a point that it does give you reassurance at the end of the day. I don't know, you guys just seem to be really cool around each other, you know? You're not worried about looking stupid or anything; you're just relaxed and stuff. And I think that it's really important that you don't have to worry about being yourself. When you love someone it's about liking the person for who they really are and being able to let your guard down, so it's really sick that you guys are able to do that. A lot of people can be married for a hundred years and never have that so it's pretty cool that you guys can. Uh," he raised his apple juice. "Here's to our mom and dad. Twenty five years of awesomeness and many more to come. Cheers."

The rest of the room burst into applause as the three kids headed back to their seats. Everyone had changed so much!

_You make it feel brand new  
After the fires that we walked through  
Against the odds we never lost our faith _

_In our house we've made our home  
Where our children all have grown  
Precious moments time cannot erase _

Madison had surprised everyone when she had gotten pregnant at twenty, eloping with her high school sweetheart soon after, and returning to finish college and achieve her dream to become a wedding planner all while having a baby. Two year old Elizabeth Lillian Young now sat happily in her father's arms and Maddy had yet to find any holes in her plan.

Charlie had decided to take after his Uncle Ryan and was interning at the Newport Group while earning his degree at the California Business Institute. At twenty he didn't seem bothered by his lack of companionship, claiming that he dated too much in high school and wanted to focus on his career for awhile.

Candace and McKenna were turning sixteen in a few short months, causing everyone to become a bit nervous at the thought of the twins having licenses. They would become juniors next fall and a year later would graduate high school, leaving the Cohen nest empty once and for all!

Kaitlyn was still living with Brad and Eric and (when they had them) their boyfriends of the week. Still single, Kaitlyn was now forty two years old and exactly the same as when she was twenty. She said she loved the gays; that they seemed to worship her and appreciate her bitchy attitude. No one bothered to question her, if Kaitlyn was happy in her own world then the rest of them got on that much more peacefully.

_Make a living up and down the gypsy highways  
Seasons that we've had to share apart  
Somehow in my heart I always keep you near me  
After all these years_

Seth took the stage next and showed a digital slideshow of pictures from the past, starting with when Ryan first came to Newport, when they dated, a few of the Fantastic Four and ending with a recent picture of Ryan and Marissa.

"Now, I'd like everyone to head over to the arch so we can get a group picture." He announced into the microphone. A few groans were let out (Lizzie, the twins, Grace, and Kaitlyn) but everyone seemed to cooperate well enough. The photographer stood around positioning people, setting up his camera, and re-positioning people after they had run off.

Not long after the entire group was standing in position while the photographer stood behind the camera. Ryan and Marissa looked around and took notice at just how much the group had grown in the past decade.

At the very front were Candace, McKenna, Charlie, and Noah. Amy and Jonathon, Gracie and Mike, Maddy and her husband took up the second row. Kirsten and Sandy sat on one side of the rows while Julie, Jimmy, and Neil sat on the other, all of them in their seventies now.

At the back of the group stood the aged but still the fantastic Fab Four. They all looked a bit tired, a bit worn and weathered, but happy. A look of joy and pride shined brightly on each of their faces as they looked around at the family they had created together.

_After all these years  
You stood by me  
The days and nights that I was gone  
After all these years  
You sacrificed, believed in me  
And you stood strong  
Cause with our love there's nothing left to fear  
After all these years_

Over the past nearly thirty years a lot had changed. Seth, Summer, Ryan, and Marissa had gone from being frivolous teenagers with what felt like the weight of the world on their shoulders to becoming husbands, wives, parents, and even grandparents. Their lives were completely different and they now had nearly two generations to continue their legacy.

Seth was still working at Atomic Comics, often saying that it had never been work to him, he was just doing what he loved. Ryan was overseeing projects at the Newport Group and designing houses in his spare time and Marissa and Summer were currently writing a book together about their lives. It was far from Atomic County, a real story written in first person with the facts and real details, and they weren't holding anything back. Like their lives, it got dark and scary at some points but that was the way life worked; they wanted to let the world know that things can work out and that sometimes you really do meet the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with in high school.

Seth, Summer and Marissa had known each other since they were little. But they had never really met until Ryan showed up and changed everything. Nobody had ever expected that one quiet kid from a broken home in Chino would alter the rest of their lives. It was because of Ryan that Seth and Summer were together and that Marissa had left a life of drinking and partying behind and grown up. Everything in everybody's lives had changed and grown so drastically into the miracle and wonderment that it was today.

Over the years everything had been altered. People had loved, lost, found, and grown to love again. And all because one boy from Chino changed it all.

_After all these years  
You stood by me  
The days and nights that I was gone  
After all these years  
You've sacrificed, believed in me  
And you stood strong  
Cause with our love there's nothing left to fear  
After all these years_


End file.
